Gabcast

Again, I am not good at getting things into my blogs!
Here is the link to my Gabcast: Instructional Media

What a difference!

The WebQuest has been going great. From the very first day my group has been on the same page. We have worked well together, and everyone has been more than willing to do their part. I was a little bit worried about doing another group project after the whole digital story fiasco. While working on the digital story, my group did not communicate well. We were never working towards the same goal, and never had similar ideas on what direction to take. I think that experience was a wake-up call for us all. This time around has been an altogether good experience. What a difference a grade can make!

I am excited how our WebQuest has turned out as well. I think that the final project is something that I can be proud of. I am even thinking of using it as part of my unit plan for my curriculum class. It fits perfectly with the fitness and nutrition unit that I will be planning. It is exciting to see how it comes together with the rest of the unit. It is also good because it will appeal to a certain type of student. Because we live in such a technology driven world, it will be a great addition to my class.

A WebQuest is a great way to teach a concept because the student is finding their own information safely. Because, they are given the websites to get their information, they are getting the info that I want them to find. It is a way of controlling what the students learn, while giving them the freedom to discover it for themselves.

This weeks video "a nouns a person, place, or thing" is one that I already commented on. However, I think that it is good enough to deserve two comments! Even when I just see the words, or even think of a noun, the song flips through my head. I love school house rock!

Is that my voice?!

For this weeks blog, I have made my own avitar, using voki.com. This in itself is a really cool way to use technology. My avitar for the most part looks like me. I spent a lot of time and had a lot of fun making my voki and recording my own voice over the phone. I had some trouble getting it onto my blog, so I have added the link. My Voki

video chat!

So imagine you are going to China for three weeks towards the end of the school semester. You have discussed it with all of your teachers, and have done as much class work ahead of time as possible. However, you will be missing a group, in-class, practical exam. So what do you do? Cancel your trip? Try to do it before or after the vacation to China?

This is a problem that my friend Brooke has been trying to figure out for the last few weeks. We together came up with a great alternative when we noticed that she and a guy in our group both had webcams on their computers. She discussed her idea with our teacher and set it all up. On Thursday morning (about one am Friday morning in China), Brooke took the Ed Psych test with the rest of our class over gmail video chat.

She was able to do everything that we could do, although she didn't do the dance Dr. Cox taught us! She saw the experiments that we did, participated in class discussions, and took her group exam just as she would if she had been there. I even still got to hear her funny comments throughout the remainder of class using my earphones. Brooke has arranged to "attend" another class this week as well. I have decided that gmail video chat is about the coolest thing since regular gmail chat!

Experiencing how this worked out so well I can definitely see how video conferencing can be used in the classroom. Instead of having kids trying to get the notes ahead of time, or scrambling to get them after, they can get them at the same time as everyone else. It could be used when kids go out of town, or even if they are sick. However, I can also imagine kids taking advantage of this. I would set it up so kids could only use it once or twice, unless previously arranged. This way kids wouldn't use video chat so they could sleep in later or just miss class.

This weeks video, How Not to Use PowerPoint, was pretty entertaining. I think everyone who has ever been to school has seen a PowerPoint that hit some if not all of the no-no's. I am sure everyone has made one using at least one of these mistakes. I thought the guy was funny and that it was good information. I am thinking of forwarding the video to a couple of teachers I know!

The Making of a Webquest

So I have decided that a WebQuest is much more fun for me to create, than to complete as a student. I think that it is a great way for students to find their own answers to a problem or question. Because the students are finding their own answers, and not just being told the information, they are more likely to remember the material.

Before learning about WebQuests, I thought they were pretty straight forward. However, I didn't know that all WebQuests had a mirror side. I didn't realize that there was a teacher side as well. The student side explains each step for the student, so that they find the information that you want them to find. The teacher side basically tells other teachers how they can use the WebQuest in their class, and what they need to do to prepare.

A WebQuest is great to use because it lets students use the Internet safely. The Internet is a great resource to find information. You can find anything on the web. It can also be a very dangerous place though. By typing a single wrong letter, you can find yourself somewhere you don't want to be. Instead of giving students a problem and saying "use the Internet to find the answer", they are given specific sites that I have chosen, that will help them. There also isn't even a chance of typing the wrong URL, because all of the sites are linked to the WebQuest.

WebQuests are a lot of work, but overall I enjoyed making one. It is something that I can definitely use in my classroom. I can see myself using our WebQuest, that we are making for this class, in the future. Proper nutrition is something that is important for students to learn, but don't know a lot about. If I can help someone improve their eating habits at a young age, it will improve their quality of life now and in the future. I can also share this with other teachers in the PE/Health department. Students can share the sites with their friends and family as well and help them to eat better also.

This weeks video "Schoolhouse Rock - A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing" was great. I remember seeing Schoolhouse Rock videos when I was younger. I like that it repeats itself with different examples through the entire video. Also putting the concept to music helps to cement it to memory. I don't think that I will ever forget that a noun is a person, place, or thing.

My Beliefs

I believe that technology has a very important place in the classroom. As the world evolves, more and more things are done using technology. How can we teach kids to be active participants in the world if we don't use technology. The basics will always need to be taught in school, it is the way that they are taught that is changing. There are many new devices developed constantly. There are now electronic books, smartboards, mini computers, and the list goes on and on. In order to use these new things, we must learn how they work. I believe that knowing how to use technology will be an important tool for everyone.

Technology is not only for young people. So much of communication today is technological. We have cell phones, text messaging, IM, and email. We also have social networks that keep people connected, and blogs to keep everyone updated with our lives. What did people do before all of these things were developed? I didn't even have a cell phone until I went to college and now I can't seem to do without it! It is never too late to learn about technology, with all of the resources availabe (tutorials, podcasts, online workshops) all people should be able to learn at least the basics principles of technology.

Lessons Learned

I think that the biggest concern that I have after reading and watching this weeks assignment is that I didn't know what IMHO, BRB, and AFK stood for. That's embarrassing! I am always amazed by how much I do not know about technology. It seems like for every one thing that I learn, more things are developed and I just keep getting further and further behind.

This concerns me because as a teacher I want to incorporate technology in my classroom, but how can I teach kids that already know so much more than I do? The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know much. I learned that to keep up with education and to make my class useful for the students' future, I must use technology in my classroom. The world is a very technological place.

Strengths & Weaknesses

I would have to say that my technological strengths are few and far between. I don't feel like I am an expert (or even a practitioner) in any of the points on the UNI survey. The highest level that I put on any question was apprentice. I have, however, at least heard of all of the different categories/subjects in the survey. I didn't feel like I was pre-novice in any category. I feel that my "strengths" consist of operating a multimedia computer system, using the World Wide Web, using the Internet and email to communicate, using multimedia software, creating an educational website, and using a word processing program. These are all things that we have used in Instructional Media, and I am now mostly comfortable using them.

Because I will be teaching PE, I don't feel like I will use technology as much as other teachers will. There are certain areas where I will use it though. I think it would be awesome to use video conferencing to talk to other PE classes around the country and world. The students could see what is being done in different classes and share what they have learned. I will also use digital stories as a way to introduce different topics and sports. I think that digital stories are a great way to begin a discussion about serious/sensitive topics such as body image and eating disorders. I would also like my students to develop a workout program for themselves or others using audio/video equipment.

Though I am not an expert on these things yet, there are places that I can go to help me learn and teach my students. I will use Video Conferencing Podcast to help me learn more about video conferencing and I will also use one of the audacity tutorials to help me to edit audio for a workout program. The one that I think is really cool is removing the vocals from an MP3 (Lose Vocals). Exercise videos need music with a great beat, but usually not any words. This will really help me and my students.

google presentations

This week I decided to talk about google presentations. After playing around with a presentation for a while, I have decided that I really like the google version of PowerPoint. One of the best features (in my mind) is that you can share the presentations with others. It will be awesome to be able to work on a presentation with others from anywhere. I also like that it is saved in google, so I can work on it from any computer, and I don't have to have my flash drive on me.

There are many features that I really like about google presentations. It is very easy to insert a video. When you click on insert video it opens a window that goes directly to youtube. You can enter exactly what you want or a concept you are covering and find something you can use. It is also easy to insert a slide from a different presentation (google or PowerPoint). So if you are on a computer that doesn't have the Internet, you can still work on your presentation using PowerPoint, then import those slides into your google presentation.

I think that presentations are great in class (as long as they are not just read word for word). A well placed and prepared presentation can make all the difference in a class. They can help a visual learner stay focused. Plus with the ability to add videos right to the slide, you don't have to search for where you have your video on the computer.

This weeks video, The Connected Classroom, was very similar to another video we watched. It had a lot of the same information, but was presented in a little bit different way. The first song played was great! I liked the way the music was put in the video. The middle was more dramatic, then it changed to more lighthearted or hopeful. I think it is strange to think that the world is training people for careers and technologies that don't exist yet. I need to think more outside the box.

The Digital Story is Complete

Over the past three weeks I have learned a lot about digital stories. I don't feel like I know how to make them exactly, someone else in my group put it all together, but I can see how they can help or hurt a lesson in the classroom. I also know how to use tutorials to help me when I am ready to make a story of my own.

In another one of my classes, I saw a digital story that helped create the perfect atmosphere for the subject matter being taught. The lesson was on how Sept. 11, 2001 affected the market. We watched a digital story that brought back the same feelings that I felt when the day actually happened. I can distinctly remember sitting in my living room my sophomore year of college, watching the news and feeling fear and dread. It is amazing how seeing the digital story had the same affect. It made everyone remember something different and the class discussion that occurred afterwards was intense.

Using a digital story to introduce a subject is an amazing way to get students on the same page. It must be thoroughly thought out and aligned with what is being taught. A well placed/created digital story will be remembered by students and help them to remember material taught as well. The more a student feels when being taught, the more they will be able to remember because it gives the lesson personal meaning.

I think that the biggest drawback of digital stories, is the amount of time and thought it takes to put one together. However, once completed, it can be used multiple times, by multiple teachers if it is well done. I am excited to use this in my classroom in the future. It is something that will make me a better teacher and will give my class meaning.

This week's video, Three Steps, wasn't as exciting as previous video's we have watched. It did however have some very good ideas. I liked the three steps that the video suggested. Step 1- transform your classroom into a creative learning space. Step 2- teach students the skills of competition, cooperation, and collaboration. Step 3- introduce your students to their global peers and provide the opportunity for them to collaborate. I think that classrooms should be creative learning spaces. Student interaction is a great way to promote learning. Students should be able to compete with themselves, cooperate with others and work together. I think that one way to make the world a better place is to work together as people. If students are able to work with other kids from around the world, they will be more loving and tolerant of all types of people.

Oh, the digital story

I look forward to the day that the digital story is finally finished. I love the idea of the digital story and all of the possibilities associated with it. However, I would rather do it on my own than with my group. It has been tough having so many people with different personalities, ideas, and work ethics working on the same project. For me, group work is always a learning experience. I have a hard time depending on and trusting others when it has to do with my grade.

I know that as a teacher, I will be working with a lot of different personalities (way more than six). I will have to accommodate students, parents, school officials, administrators, and core standards. Though the teacher has the final say in what is taught in class, I will not always be able to do things exactly the way I want them done. This is why I know group work is important for me to participate in now. It will hopefully teach me to be more patient and flexible. I also hope that the finished project will still be something that I can be proud of.

This weeks video "Did You Know 3.0", was really interesting. I am sure that even this video was out of date by the time I watched it. The numbers have undoubtedly increased. I think it is amazing how technology has evolved. I also think it is a little scary. Will teachers even be necessary in the not too distant future? Everything you could ever need to know is online, how can I make a difference?

What in the World is a Digital Story?

I have watched about a million digital stories on YouTube over the years, but I never knew that was what I was watching. I also never knew how much work it was to put those three short minutes of picture/video to music. I have never given much thought to how digital stories were made. Now that I am starting to comprehend the process, I almost wish that I was still ignorant!

Knowing how to make and teach students to make a digital story will be a great resource for me. Because I will be teaching PE, it will be great to be able to make a story with clips, quotes, and great moments from sports. It will be a great way to begin a new unit, or teach a new skill. Also letting the students make a digital story as an assignment, or an alternative to an assignment, will be great.

I could use a digital story to stay connected with colleagues. I could collaborate on a story with other teachers that are in my content area, or teachers from other subjects. For instance, I could use a digital story to teach about a sport from a different country, and a foreign language teacher could also use it in their classroom. I think that digital stories are so popular with teachers because they catch the interest of the students and can help create an atmosphere for what is being taught. You can convey any feeling with a digital story by adding the right music to a piece. It can add so much to a lesson.

I think that the biggest problem with digital stories is that they are so time consuming. It takes a lot of work to put together three minutes of good video. If a digital story is not put together well it is obvious in the final project.

Our video this week about NASA was very well done. At the beginning of the video where Pres. Kennedy was talking, I had the feeling of excitement and pride in the US. Then when it began telling of all of the people who had lost their lives to reach the moon and other goals, it made me feel the opposite. The different situations, being asphyxiated before even taking off, or burning up on re-entry, were devastating. It was strange to feel those different emotions so close together, in such a short amount of time. That is what is great about a digital story, the feeling.

Technology in PE?

One of the main things that I think is important in a health/PE setting is to be accountable for your eating and exercise. Our exercise and eating behaviors have a huge impact on overall health. So the first instructional objective I have is to log and evaluate eating and exercise habits. In order to be able to fully evaluate these behaviors and find where our strengths lie and where we need improvement, we will be using “My Pyramid Tracker”.

This tracker, My Pyramid Tracker, is a free website where you can enter in all of the foods you have eaten and what exercise you have participated in. It tells you where your diet is lacking and how much exercise impacts your diet. I believe that this tool will help the students in my class to see where in their diet they need more work so that they can become the healthiest version of themselves that they can be.

My Pyramid Tracker focuses on the five food groups instead of caloric intake. You enter in the food you have eaten and then it tells you how many servings of each food group that item has compared to how many servings you need. In most instances this is a good thing because I think that too many people get too caught up in counting calories, when if they just ate what was recommended they would be fine. The website is simple to use, easy to adjust, and the results are stated quickly and clearly. However, the site doesn’t have every food known to man entered, so sometimes you have to pick a food close to what you ate, so it might not be completely accurate. It also doesn’t count calories so for those who need to watch their calorie intake, this is not the website for them.

Another thing that I think is important in a PE is exercising correctly. You can know a million different weight lifting exercises, but if you don’t do them correctly, they aren’t worth doing. That is why I have chosen to use Dartfish in my classroom.

When I was playing softball for BYU, Dartfish was something that we used extensively and I have seen how helpful it can be when learning or improving a skill. Dartfish is a software program that allows you to analyze video. When I used it, it was to analyze my softball swing. You can record a certain movement or exercise and then play it back and analyze each step of the process.

When learning or improving an exercise, it can be very helpful to see yourself performing the movement. Using Dartfish will allow the students to see where they are having trouble with an exercise. Because you can break it up into different parts, the student can see a specific part of the exercise that needs improvement. As a personal trainer, I know it is hard to tell someone how to do something, or even show something, but if they can see themselves do it there is a new level of understanding. Some students may feel uncomfortable watching and analyzing themselves, and we will only be able to analyze one student at a time, so there are a couple of disadvantages of using Dartfish.

This weeks video was great! I love David Letterman's top ten lists. My favorite of the top ten things that you don't learn about teaching in college was #10, Why are the bad kids never sick? and #9, no matter how sick you are, it's easier to come into school than to write sub plans.

to surf or not to surf

The internet should definitly be used in education. The internet holds so much more information than students have access to otherwise. Think of all the books we would need to have to equal what we have on the web. Another thing that makes the internet so valuable in education is that it can be updated so easily and frequently. To update a book a whole new edition has to be published. The internet is something that kids will use through their entire life, we should teach them how to safely use it while they are young.

We have to be careful when using the internet. Although there are many great things offered, there are many more not so great things. We should evaluate the sites we use to make sure they are accurate. Because sites are so easily made anyone can make a site that looks authentic. There are questions we should ask ourselves before using a site as a resource. When looking at a website, ask:

1. Who is the author, are they an expert in the field?
2. Is it a personal wibsite?
3. What is the purpose of the site?
4. When was the site last updated?
5. Where does the information come from?
6. Why is this page better than another?

When giving students assignments on the internet, we need to make sure they use it safely. I think that parents have to be involved in this process. In school it is easier to monitor what sites the students are looking at. There are filters to control what can and cannot be opened. I think parents should use these at home, they should also keep the computer in the family room, or another room that isn't behind closed doors. Parents should monitor their children while on the internet. Teaching kids how to be safe on the internet is also very important. They should know not to click on advertisments that pop up on the page and not to give out their personal information. Kids should also know not to open emails from anyone that they don't know or
download anything without their parents permission.

There are many sites that can help students and parents learn more about internet safety. Here are three that I will use in educating my students.

• FBI internet safety
• Kids Newsroom
• The Police Notebook

The internet is a great resource that we have access to as long as it is used wisely and safely.

UEN Reflection

I am amazed at how much you can find on uen.org. It is great to have free resources that can only be used by teachers or people with an education email! All of the different sights within the UEN site have so much to offer. I like the personal page on the UEN website with its calendar, curriculum resources, dictionary (which I use a lot), and all of the services and tools.

The interactive section of the website is amazing. I love the little games that the kids can play. I don't know if high school kids will be too “cool” for the interactives, but now that I am a little older I can appreciate them. I think that I will use the interactives if I am teaching 9th graders, and possibly older, depending on what unit I am teaching.

I was really impressed with the pioneer library. It has so many different sites in it to find information on just about anything you want. I will use this resource to have my students find articles in magazines or the newspaper that have to do with physical fitness. I will also use this to find the latest research on training techniques.

I like that you can find not only the core curriculum on this site, but also lesson plans for the different standards. Having the core so accessible will help me to stay in line with what I need to be teaching. I can use the lesson plans to give me ideas of what I can do with my classes. They are a great resource for new and old teachers alike.

I love the SIRS Discover site. In the sports icon there are articles on everything from salaries of athletes to presidents who played sports. There is also one called “You Got Cut, Now What?” I like that there are things for kids in every situation.

I think that what I like the best about the UEN website is that you can find all of these things and a whole lot more in one place. Instead of having to remember many different sites, all you need to remember is uen.org and everything is at your fingertips.

Who's Website? My Website

In my last post I mentioned using a blog or a website to help me in my classroom. At that point I knew I could make a blog, but I didn't really know what making a website would entail. I always assumed that only people who could build their own computer could figure out how to make something complicated like a website. Now after having learned about them, I think I could have even figured it out on my own, if someone pointed me in the right direction. I'm glad I was given a little more instruction than that! I never imagined that making a website could be so easy.

As a teacher having a website that is easy to understand and navigate will definitely help me communicate with my students. Having a website with all of the information they need in one spot will make the students more accountable for their work. They won't be able to use the excuse "Well I didn't know". My website will have all upcoming events, homework assignments, test dates, and my contact information in case they need clarification on anything. When I was in high school none of my teachers had a website, not that I had a computer back then, so if you didn't know about an assignment or had a question, your only option was to hope their number was in the phone book or find out about it when it was already late. You can access a website from anywhere, so you can always know whats going on.

Engrade is a great tool as well. I like that you can see all of your assignments and what score you got on them. It takes the guess work out of knowing where you stand in a class. Engrade gives you quick and easy feedback. I have had classes that I thought I was doing great in, only to find out at the end of the semester that I was doing the assignments wrong, I was getting low scores on something that could have been easily fixed if someone had let me know they were wrong.

Using both of these tools, a website and Engrade, will help me keep students' parents involved in their kids education. Parents will have access to my website so they also know what and when things are due. I'm not sure how I feel about giving all parents access to Engrade, it might be something I only do if a child is having trouble in my class. I like having the option.

In school I think it is important to know what other teachers are teaching as well. I want my students to be able to transfer their new knowledge to other things they are doing. If all teachers have websites they can see what topics others are covering or see when they have major tests or projects due so that schedules can be arranged around them and make learning as effective for students as possible.

I liked the topic of this weeks video. There are so many resources available to teenagers these days. Why not use them. Kids know how to do so much more now than a lot of older people. I don't know why teachers insist on making them learn the old way, when a new way could be much more affective.

As a teacher I will use both a website and Engrade to help my students understand my class. I will try to incorporate new technologies into my lessons as well, which means I need to keep learning!

The Wonderful World of Google

As I learn about becoming a teacher, I am pleasantly surprised by all of the resources that are available for me to use. I am a relative newcomer to the computer, well anything past email, and am so excited about the programs I get to use that teachers just a few years ago didn't have access to. All of these programs and tools will help me not only stay organized and on the right track, but also help me keep students and parents informed about classroom rules and schedule and help me connect with colleagues.

The Google Calender will be a big part of my life as a teacher. Because it is important to be organized, it will be helpful to have one calender with all of my responsibilities on it. I will be teaching, coaching, and hopefully having a personal life, so I like that the calender is color coded for easy reading and can be as specific or general as I want it. I also like that calenders can be public or private on Google so that I can have one for me to look at, and also one available for my students to view.

As a PE teacher I will not use the computer much IN the classroom, however I can see the usefulness of having a class website or a class blog, probably both. They will be a place where the kids and parents can look to see what will be happening in the upcoming classes and also see what they have missed. I know that kids aren't always the best at telling their parents how they are doing in school, so having a website with student scores and participation will keep the parents involved and up to date on their child's performance. I hope this will also be helpful in keeping misunderstandings about student grades to a minimum.

I want my class to be a place for students to improve themselves and I believe that it is important for them to be held accountable for their actions. I think it would be great to have them set up their own workout or nutrition blog where I can check on their progress and dedication to the goals they set. I am also now a big fan of gmail. It is a great way for students to ask questions that they don't want to ask in a classroom setting. This is also a great way to communicate with parents.

I think that I will use Google docs with my colleagues. It will be convenient to be able to work with teachers teaching the same subject to make handouts or presentations together without having to be together. It will also be a way to have someone look over a lesson plan and give feedback on it. I will definitely try to learn from teachers that have been teaching longer than I have.

Video presentations are great to have in class. They can be serious and instructional or funny depending on what you are going for. I loved the fraction division video. I just keep thinking "take the top number, divide it by the bottom number". It is so corny, but I don't think I will ever forget it! Its like when I was a second grade and learned 'Fifty Nifty' to learn the fifty states. I can still recite them in order and I can do it faster if I am singing. Video presentations are a good way to introduce a subject or break up the day. I would like to use them as a teacher to show different sports or exercises.

I am excited to become a teacher in this time period because there are so many tools and resources available to help make me a great teacher.

My Ideal Classroom

My ideal classroom is a little different than a regular classroom. Since I'm going to be a P.E. teacher my classroom will be a gym and when the weather is good, the great outdoors. So to make my ideal classroom it involves more the feel than the set up. I want to have a class where all of my students feel safe no matter what their fitness level, athletic ability, or social situation in the class. I want to teach P.E. in a way that will help the students become the healthiest version of themselves. I want to be the kind of teacher that teaches by example. I want to be able and willing to do all that I ask of my students. I don't want my class to be something that the students have to endure because it is required, but something that will help them accomplish their goals.